I have stayed away from televised news for several years now, and have (for the past eight months) been off of social media more than I’ve been on. Nonetheless, it has come to my attention that there’s a large number of people who are discouraged about the direction of this country. Some Christians are dealing with extreme feelings of hopelessness related to the future of America.

If you are one of those people, this article is for you. I wanted to teach you/remind you of the biblical concept of “Heavenly Citizenship.”

These are passages that teach us that America is not our true home. Our citizenship is actually in Heaven, and we are just here temporarily.

Think about it: Have you ever been on a mission trip to a foreign nation? If so, you may remember that the country you were in had some uncomfortable parts. Maybe the food wasn’t as good as it was back home. Or perhaps you didn’t like the insects that crawled into your bed or the fact that the shower water was cold. Maybe you felt sadness for the people when you realized that they live in a place where they have to hide their Bibles and hide their church meetings. Perhaps you were a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who hadn’t heard much about Jesus, and how they lived out of a completely different worldview.

Even if you experienced that, you probably were not plagued with hopelessness. You know why? Because you knew it was temporary. You did not “put your hope” in that nation. You saw yourself as a short-term resident. However, you also didn’t just give up and cease doing things that matter, either. After all, it was a mission trip, and you went there to help! So, you did what you could while you were there.

In a similar way, God has placed every Christian on a mission trip called “this life.” And as hopeless as things may seem sometimes, we can know that God has prepared a place for us in the future. We won’t be here long. We’re going home one day. That is encouraging.

However, someone might say, “But what about the here and now? Are we not supposed to care about the people and things happening around us? Do we just give up on America?” Of course not. God has placed us here for a reason. So, we do the good that we can do while we are here.

I think the balance of those two issues is helpful to remember during times when you feel hopeless about this country.